UNITED STATES ARMY
CENTER OF MILITARY HISTORY
NEIT - 018
INTERVIEW OF
3rd United States Infantry
September 25, 2001
TAPE TRANSCRIPTION
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PROCEEDINGS
This is MHHHR historian, Fort Myer Military Community,
Tuesday, September 25, 2001 . We’re at Charlie Company Headquarters, Building 251, on
Sheridan Avenue at Fort Myer, Virginia, in Executive Officer’s Room. I am
going to be doing an oral history Charlie Company,
3rd United Slates Infantry, concerning events regarding September 11, 2001 , at The
Pentagon.
Charlie Company, 3rd United States
Infantry, The Old Guard.
What were you doing the morning of September 1 1 , before 0830?
fi I was at home, on leave, watching the news.
h And where was home?
\ Centreville, Virginia.
When did you first learn of the attack up the World Trade Center?
As soon as it happened. I was watching the news, morning
news, and I watched the plane hit.
And you learned of this by watching CNN —
Yes.,
- or one of the other stations?
One of the other stations.
(Off tire record.)
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s * nce y° u were at home on leave, in Centreville, in
northern Virginia, how were you able to get back to Fort Myer and when did you get back,
following the attack?
I tried coming back that day, I was turned around by the D.C.
Police. I then came back when my leave was up Following that, my orders were to go
straight to The Pentagon and start helping with the debris clearance.,
What day was your leave up? The attack took place on Tuesday,
the 1 1 th.
r. My leave ended that Sunday.
J|HH0HVYour leave then ended on Sunday, the 16th of September.
* And how did you leam, upon — how did you learn about the attack upon
The Pentagon?
? It also was on the news I was watching,
Okay. You got back on Sunday, September 16, 2001. What were
your orders when you returned to Charlie Company, 3rd Infantry, Fort Myer, Virginia?
My orders were to get all my LBE, IC-Pot 1 , rucksack, and board
the trans going to The Pentagon.
f: 'And what time was that on Sunday, the 1 6th?
That was at 0530.
At 0530. Did you perform any security duty at The Pentagon? If
1 Kevlar Helmet
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yes, what were your orders regarding use of deadly force? Did you receive any other
special instructions?
f We were told to guard the north parking lot. We were told not
to use deadly force. The only orders we were given: if they do not have a Pentagon badge,
do not allow them in without contacting the FBI.
Did you assist in the recovery efforts at The Pentagon?
Yes, I did.
When did you first arrive at The Pentagon crash site itself and
what was your immediate reaction when you did?
f. I arrived there at 16 September. My initial reaction was: I can't
believe this actually happened.
What was your particular mission at The Pentagon crash site and
how did you work in conjunction with fire and rescue personnel?
Our initial mission was to clean up the debris, collect evidence
for the FBI, and the fire and rescue basically told us to clear out certain sections so that
they could locate the bodies, and that's what we did.
When you were looking for evidence for the FBI, anything in
particular that they told you to look for?
They told us to look for plane fragments, body fragments,
anything that would define IDs.
1 What measures were taken to protect your safety?
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t We were given respirators,
chemical — or suits, rubber boots, rubber gloves, and then we had leather gloves on over
that.
And what type of suits were you given?
“ Biotech chem — or suits.
What was your emotional reaction to the wreckage and how did
you manage to continue to work under these conditions?
Emotionally, 1 was just distraught, mad, angry, and then I
thought of all the people who were, you know, caught in there and I just wanted to help
them.
What were your duty hours, and be specific, if you're going to use
military time, use it consecutively, and how did you manage to continue to work under
such long conditions?
Our hours were from 0530 in the morning 'til 1 700 at night,
when our relief came in, and we basically just took it day by day. If we went in, we'd work
for our two hours and then we'd sleep for about three hours, and then have to go back in
and do it again. That's hbw we managed to go from day to day.
P: So you were like 2 hours — during your 12 hour shift, you were 2
hours on, 2 hours off? I mean —
Yes, sir.
JT -- going into the building?
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building?
? Yes, sir
! And « and where did you sleep when you came out of the
? They had tents set up for us.
How did the Army help to improve your conditions at The
Pentagon? I understand that AAFES 2 provided a van with material. Did you use that van?
Did you see any other morale- builders there?
f. Yes, I did see the AAFES van and, yes, I did use them. The
other morale builders were all the food/drink that we were — all the drinks that we could
ever want, all the food we could ever eat, and then like the clothing, if we needed it, and it
was — that was a really big help.
fi Who was doing the extra water and Gatorade and the extra food?
Was that Aamy or volunteer agencies?
f. That was volunteer agencies, like Burger King, McDonald's.
Outback Steak House came there, and then the Gatorade company. We had like Deer Park
Water, all the other bottled water companies
f. Is there any particular scene or event that stands out in your mind,
and what one incident will you remember most about this experience?
The most HI ever remember is the first time I walked inside in
The Pentagon itself and saw all the structural damage. That was the most unbelievable
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thing I've ever seen.
What — what did that remind you of? Had you seen anything
similar to that in your personal experience or did it look like a movie set?
f. It just ~ it ~ it looked exactly like a movie set. It was — it blew
my mind. It was nothing I had ever imagined.
Is there anything else that you would like to add to the interview,
any answers to any questions that weren't asked?
f! No.
Any feelings? Any review of circumstances?
T; No, I have nothing else to add.
Thank you.
(The interview was concluded.)
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